- 4.
I didn’t go to the hospital.
After taking some painkillers, I went home to pack my luggage.
In the huge mansion, my belongings only filled one small suitcase. All the clothes inside were bought when I first came, not a single new piece added in 7 years, all faded and as pale as my sickly complexion.
Ironically, there were 10 housekeepers in the mansion.
Only I, the legal wife, had to work without a moment’s rest every day, worn to skin and bones.
Just because Ethan didn’t want me to have any free time, didn’t want to see even a hint of happiness or relaxation on my face.
“Phew~”
I let out a long sigh, quickening my pace to leave with the broken suitcase.
I was finally going to be free.
“Where are you going?”
“Found that playing pitiful didn’t work, so now you’re pulling the running away trick?”
I slowed down, blocked by Ethan in the courtyard.
The suffocating feeling came back, and I couldn’t be bothered to say another word, trying to walk around him.
1:39 AM
<
But he grabbed my arm.
“Don’t touch me!”
I violently shook off his hand, turning to glare at him: “I told you, I’ve paid back what I owed you. From now on, you’re not allowed to touch me again!”
“Heh.”
Ethan chuckled: “Rachel Wilson, I’ve seen this retreat to advance trick played out in the business world. You think I’m still that naive boy from back then? So easy to fool?”
I had heard similar words countless times over these 7 years.
But I still couldn’t become immune to them. My heart felt bitter, unable to say a word.
“Alright, stop pretending. Considering you disappeared for 7 days and came back looking all sickly, and even deliberately jumped in the water trying to drown yourself, putting in so much effort, I’ll let you have your way just this once.”
He took out a stack of bills from his bag, throwing them at my feet with a playful look, as if giving alms.
“Pick it up and say ‘thank you, husband‘, and I’ll give you a few more thousand.”
Looking at the man I had shared a bed with for 7 years, his eyes not hiding their mockery at all, I thought I would feel pain, but I didn’t.
At that moment, I truly understood what it meant for a heart to die.
I met his gaze directly, finally able to calmly ask the question that had puzzled me for 7 years:
“Ethan Evans, if money was all I cared about, if I married you just for your family fortune, why did I endure for 7 years without hope and not leave? Why didn’t I find other rich men while I was still young, instead of wasting away here with you?”
“Whether you believe it or not, Ethan Evans, my feelings for you were always genuine.”
But that was in the past.
After saying this, the knot in my heart slowly dissipated.
Not waiting for his response, I continued to leave with my suitcase.
“Rachel Wilson! If it wasn’t for my money, what was it for?”
“You left me when I was poorest, then came back when my company went public. How can you say your feelings were genuine?”
Ethan’s angry shouts came from behind.
I couldn’t be bothered to say more, quickening my pace.
He suddenly chased after me, grabbing my hair and pulling me to the ground.
“I’m asking you a question, why are you running? Answer me!”
His eyes were red with anger, out of control.
But I no longer had the energy to guess why he was angry.
My already unstable condition was triggered again, and I curled up on the ground, shaking with pain, unable to control it even while gritting my
teeth.
“Get up, stop pretending!”
→
<
Seeing my face growing paler, my forehead covered in cold sweat, not seeming to be an act, Ethan finally panicked, crouching down to try and pick me up.
“Get away!”
I pushed him away with all my strength, crawling towards my suitcase with difficulty.
Like a clumsy but determined snail, desperately trying to escape this place.
“Alright, alright, I give up. Rachel, we can talk about anything you want, but let’s go to the hospital first, okay?”
Ethan’s voice trembled slightly, his movements much gentler as he carefully tried to help me up.
I would rather die than let him touch me again!
In the struggle, the old suitcase accidentally tipped over, its fragile plastic shell shattering and revealing the medical diagnosis on top.
Ethan saw it and immediately grabbed it.
The world was silent for two seconds.
Then his hoarse, trembling voice, full of fear, sounded again.
“Rachel… you really have cancer?”
“If it’s true, why didn’t you show me earlier?”
